A Training, Equipment and Logistics Plan

Built on Two Finishes of Ironman Coeur d'Alene

and About 30 years of Amateur Athletic Experience

(this text is only because I wanted to use h6 tag)

First things first: Get a place to stay....

Take that worry out of the equation. Have a specific destination. Don't let it slip up on you. Understand where you will be and what logistics are involved in race week. Have a back-up plan, I'm working on it.

Review where you've been...

Next, find out where you are...

Testing hurts. I like endurance work -- it's all about "slow and steady wins the race." It's about determination, focus, toughness. 30 minute time trials and maximum efforts just hurt, everywhere.
Muscles burn, lungs burn, digestion suffers -- I think you get the point. But, if you want to train and race with confidence, I've concluded you gotta do it. I've re-discovered the form - effeciency - speed connection in the process. (Which means this plan will include, yuck, some speed drills and high cadence work.)

For the run, there's the annual Tyler Cup Invitational two-mile time trial at Cooper Clinic, which I'm fortunate enough to be invited to. Training up and running the TT gave me good data on HR zones and pace zones.

For the bike, two friends and I motivated each other to do a series of maximum burst tests on the Computrainer and I find using the gentle grade on the out lef of IM Arizona Real Course Video makes for a tolerable 30-minute and one hour TT. Thus I have my HR and power zones on the bike. We also got some good looks at our relative pedaling efficiency and right-left power balance.

I've never been as confident to go into Gordon and Joe's tables in their book Going Long (my bible) to find the correct training zones. And, surpirse, surprise, surprise. Or not. My base training HR zones have been too high.

Here are the data, zones and base workouts.

Look where you're going

Here's where CompuTrainer Real Course Video rocks! In 2006 and 2007 my wife and I went to Coeur d'Alene for course recon. Great, and memory, pictures and lap markers are very helful. But those things can't tell you there's a section of 13% grade at 32.4 miles into the bike. They can tell you there's a blazing fast downhill into a 90 degree right hand turn at mile X, but you can't practice it time and again. And you just can't get the feel for where the make or break miles of the bike course lie. The result is I know to get ready for miles 32 to 35, 88 to 91. I can practice them once a week. When I get there I know where to go for my test ride. I can evaluate gearing (sticking with 53 / 39 and 11 / 28 from Coeur d'Alene.)